Russia in the Middle East: The Polyphonic Harmony

On May 21, at 11.00, the Valdai Discussion Club will present the report, titled “Russia in the Middle East: The Polyphonic Harmony”.

The importance of the place occupied by the Middle East in the international relations system increases, and the regional conflicts, like a gravitational field, draw in regional and global actors, so that engenders a complex polyphony of various interests.

The situation remains explosive. The emerging positive developments in the Syrian settlement do not look stable because the balance of power is still shaky.

In Libya, the ultra-militarization and poorly institutionalized political process do not allow to end a bloody civil war. The Yemeni conflict, insufficiently covered in the world media, has the most complex structure of all presented. Finally, the Palestinian-Israeli contradictions continue to show a destructive potential, even being pushed to the background. In this situation, Russia is able to maintain flexibility by establishing bilateral relations with various players, often hostile to each other.

The Middle East has repeatedly given examples of how political irresponsibility combined with military recklessness can create uncontrollable chaos. That is why an integrated and coordinated solution is needed. But how is it possible to make the regional countries shift the melody from conflictual to the interactional one? The answer will form the basis for the discussion, timed to the presentation of the annual Middle East report of the Valdai Club.

Speakers:

Vitaly NAUMKIN, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences